On The Sands of Time
by Jade258
Summary: Aang's destination was a Gathering of spirit dervishes in the middle of the desert. His goal; hope to master all four elements before he got there. And all he had was a bodyguard, two slaves that he hoped were friends and a deadly princess in pursuit.
1. Part I: An Unexpected Visitor

**Setting:** Arabian Desert  
**Warnings: **Yaoi. Don't like? Don't read.**  
Pairings:** Zuko x Aang  
**Summary:  
**Deep into the heart of the Arabian desert, is a sacred circle protected by strong, spirit magic. Here is where, after every 100 years, the spirit dervishes gather to perform their whirling dance and pay a tribute to the Gods, in return, drawing knowledge from the universe. Miles and miles away, a peasant boy living under his master's care, seeks answers concerning his ability to bend all four elements. Accompanied by an unwilling bodyguard and two runaway slaves, he embarks on a journey into the heart of the desert to get answers. But pursued relentlessly by deadly assassins and bounty-hunters will he ever make it? Or will enemies and emotions stand in his way?  
**Author's Note:  
**[It's long, you have been warned :P]

Well, since almost all of this story revolves around aspects of Arabian culture, maybe there are some things you aren't familiar with. So, feel free to ask me if you don't get something. I own only, like, one-fifth of the actual plot. The general idea is gathered from a classic Middle-Eastern film _Bab Aziz_ while the rest belongs to the creators of Avatar: TLA. The little part about circles is taken from Wicca and witchcraft in general. Also, I will be bending a bit of the concept of dervishes to fit my story.

For those of you who don't know what a dervish is, here's a, hopefully, clear definition.

_A Dervish or Darvesh is someone following a Sufi Muslim ascetic path and are known for their extreme poverty and austerity. They're pretty similar to mendicant friars in Christianity and Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus._

_-Courtesy of Wikipedia_

For those of you who don't know what the word 'Sufi' [_pronounced: Soofey_] means.

_**Sufism** is, according to its adherents, the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a Sufi, though some adherents of the tradition reserve this term only for those practitioners who have attained the goals of the Sufi tradition. Another name used for the Sufi seeker is Dervish._

_Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God. while in the words of renowned Darqawi Sufi teacher Ahmad Ibn Ajiba "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the divine, purify one's inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits._

_-Again, Courtesy of Wikipedia_

Anyways, sorry for the length of this note but I have to add one more thing.

_The **Mawlawi Order**, are a Sufi order founded in Konya (in present-day Turkey) by the followers of Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Balkhi Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet and Islamic jurist. They are also known as the **Whirling Dervishes** due to their famous practice of whirling as a form of Zikr (remembrance of God)._

However, since many of the aspects of this story and at length, Arabia, are closely related to Islam, it is my sincerest wish that you, as a reader, do not automatically associate Islam with terrorism. I do not expect you to just change your views or anything but I would appreciate that while you read this, you read it with tolerance and merely as a story. Do not drag in any politics and kindly do not assume things about a religion you know nothing about.

So, flamers of any sort can just get lost.

Okay, whew, got that out of my system? Now, let's start on a lighter note. ENJOY! ^_^

* * *

**ON THE SANDS OF TIME**

**Part I  
An Unexpected Vistor**

Aang quietly trudged home from school, gravel crunching underfoot with each step and sweat springing onto his forehead with each passing second. However, he still thanked the spirits for, compared with the weather for the rest of the year, that day's was rather pleasant. Stifling a yawn, he turned into an alley, one hand reaching up to skim the sun-baked rock of the house standing beside him while the other fiddled with the small hat sitting atop his head.

There were several minutes of walking, and his only companions were the sounds of his own breathing and the growing weight of the satchel on his back.

Then, he turned into another alley and came to a halt beside a wall. Reaching back, he pulled the coarsely woven satchel off his back and flung it across the wall. Before it had even hit the ground on the other side, a gust of wind swept through the alley and Aang was pushed off his feet. With perfect aim, he landed right underneath the sack and was about to catch it when he collided head-on with someone.

"OW!" The person yelled as they both stumbled backwards; Aang managing to keep himself upright while the other fell. Hard.

Aang stooped down to pick up the sack and then carefully studied the boy he had crashed into. In their compact little village, almost everyone knew each other. If not by name, then face at least and he was positive that he had not seen this boy before.

His tan skin was sheeny with sweat and he was panting, obviously not used to the dry, scorching air. The boy's bright blue eyes glared right back at him and Aang wondered just where he had come from since he looked so...different.

"Are you from around here?" Aang asked in slight puzzlement.

But before the boy could answer his question, a loud 'SOKKA' sounded from somewhere nearby and Aang peeked behind his shoulder to see a girl approaching them.

"A sorry would have been appreciated." Sokka said rather tersely as he brushed his clothes off and the girl came to a halt beside them.

"I thought the old man told you to keep your face covered or else the skin would burn." The girl said reproachfully, her own voice coming out muffled from behind a cloth wrapped around her face.

"Yeah, yeah." The boy grumbled, as he picked up a strip of cloth that had drifted to the ground during their fall.

"Well, hurry up." She said but then noticing a movement out of her eye, turned towards Aang.

"Hi!" The air bender said with a grin.

"Hello. And goodbye." Sokka said as his hand latched onto Katara's arm and he began to drag her away.

"Sokka, don't be an idiot." She said as she wrenched her arm out of his grip and turned to Aang. "Hi! I'm Katara and this is my brother, Sokka."

"Are you new around here? I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you aro-" He was saying but was cut off as the girl pulled off the cloth and began to fan her exposed face. Aang stared in awe at her exotic features; her blue eyes were even brighter than Sokka's and a few strands of her hair fell into her face to frame them. "Around." Aang finished, hastily clearing his throat.

Sokka looked suspiciously at him from behind Katara but she was oblivious to his obvious distraction, instead smiling at him. "I-yes. We're servants." She said, her expression faltering as she spoke.

"Servants?" Aang echoed. "Whose?"

"Some man whose too old to do his own work. I think his name is Gyatso or something." Katara said with an absent-minded shrug.

"I'm sorry, _what_?" Aang asked, surprise evident on his features as he looked dumbly at them.

"She said his name was Gyatso." Sokka repeated snidely.

"But that's GREAT!" Aang said.

"Why?" Katara wondered, her own lips quirking into a smile as she noticed Aang's huge grin.

"Because you're _my_ servants."

"WHAT?" Sokka yelled as his face contorted with irritation.

"Sokka." She muttered.

"Oh come on, Katara. I'm not serving this idiot." He said loudly.

Ignoring Sokka's remark, Aang smiled happily at them as he spoke. "No, no. This is wonderful because now I'll have company."

Noticing their confused glances, he elaborated. "Well, I don't really know if Gyatso is related to me but he's been taking care of me ever since I was a baby and he's my teacher. I live with him and he didn't tell me he was getting new servants."

"Right." Sokka said with a frown.

"So, shouldn't you be at home?" Aang asked, casting an inquisitive glance at the two.

"Well, Sokka went to fetch some water but he didn't bother to ask where the well was _and_ he forgot the pitcher. So I was bringing it up for him." She said, as she held up a clay container that Aang hadn't noticed before.

"Oh, I'll show you to the well, if you want." Aang offered with a smile.

"Finally!" Sokka suddenly burst out.

"Sokka." Katara said reproachfully but the tribesman merely shrugged.

"Okay, then." Aang said as he glanced funnily at them before turning on his heel and stalking in the opposite direction.

* * *

"No, no. That goes before that." Gyatso said patiently to Sokka as the tribesman pored feverishly over the pot hanging above the fire-pit.

Katara stifled a laugh as she spared the two a glance before going back to sewing the tear in Sokka's shirt. Her fingers moved like lightning over the cloth, the needle flashing silver as the light bounced off it and Aang couldn't help but be amazed by the swiftness with which she worked. The only people he had ever seen sewing so fast were the tailors and embroiderers which arrived in the village every month to sell their goods before moving on.

However, even Katara flinched every few minutes as the needle pierced her finger tips and Aang observantly noticed that her fingers were dotted with little dark pin-pricks. "What's that?" He wondered aloud as he pointed at her hands.

Katara pushed the needle carefully into the cloth before following Aang's gaze down to her fingers. "Oh, these." She said. "Well, I'm not that good at sewing so I prick my fingers with the needle every now and then. It's just dried blood from that." She explained before pausing.

"My mother used to call them 'pepper-fingers'." Katara said absentmindedly.

Across from them, Sokka slowly looked up and gazed at Katara's downcast eyes. As if sensing his gaze on her, she looked up and wiping the wistful look off her face, shot him a reassuring smile.

Satisfied, the tribesman turned back to the cauldron, leaving Aang wondering just what could have happened to make them so jumpy about their mother. He and Gyatso exchanged a glance before the master air bender turned to Sokka and began to instruct him again.

* * *

A small cloud of dust went up into the air as the figure landed onto the ground with a light thud. His pure black Arabian horse whinnied into the night and the rider's fingers lightly skimmed the creature's mane. A few seconds passed and then the horse fell silent.

A young boy, barely ten years of age, ran up to him and without a word, began to guide the horse towards the back. Not bothering to acknowledge the child, the person pulled the cloth off his face and the dust from the air immediately invaded his mouth and nose.

Grimacing the figure turned in the opposite direction and began to make his way towards the market square, his wary gaze carefully studying his surroundings. The village was bathed in moonlight and everything was still and silent, except for him. By the looks of it, the village seemed normal enough and he was positive that it would take some time for Azula to notice it.

With gritted teeth, he made his way past the market square and towards a large group of houses on a more elevated patch of land. It barely took him more than a few minutes to finally reach the house that he was looking for and as the dark structure loomed into sight, he raised his hand and knocked twice on the door.

* * *

After dinner, Katara had resumed working on the shirt while Sokka sat in front of the fire, throwing in a bit of timber every now and then. They had dragged the wooden bed out into the yard and once Aang had made himself comfortable on it, Gyatso had begun a story. With only the sound of Gyatso's deep, gravelly voice and the crackling of the fire, it was impossible not to fall asleep and after barely ten minutes, Aang had dozed off.

Presently, a loud knock at the door was what made him jerk upright into a sitting position. He looked around the yard for someone but it was empty, the fire reduced to ashes and the air still. Perhaps it was the sight of the full moon hanging in the sky or the silence which ensued right after the knock, but Aang was suddenly wide-awake and slightly spooked.

Brushing off the sudden pang, Aang reassured himself with the fact that if the need befell him, he could defend himself very well. Besides, it was their calm little village. What could possibly happen? With that thought set in mind, Aang pushed himself off the bed and made his way towards the door. Cracking it open, he peeked out, his cautious eyes scouring the area for a sign of anyone.

Spotting no one, Aang was about to shut the door when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. At once, he turned on his heel to find himself face to face with a young man. An involuntary gasp escaped his lips and he stumbled backwards and would have fallen, had it not been for the hand that shot out to grab him by the front of his shirt.

"You shouldn't take so long to answer the door." The smooth voice said and Aang's eyes widened as the man pushed him up against the door, slamming it shut in the process.

"Where's Master Gyatso?" The man asked but Aang merely stared dumbly at him. "Useless." The voice muttered and then turned away.

"I am not useless." Aang said indignantly and the man turned back to look at him.

"Whatever you say." He said and then flicked his wrist forward, a flame bursting to life in his palm.

The fire light illuminated the person's face and Aang saw that it was a boy, only a few years older than him by the looks of it. The left side of his face was disfigured by a deep red scar, the light flickering off his pale skin. But despite himself, Aang found himself growing increasingly intrigued by the boy's unique features and a few seconds passed before he realized that he was staring. And that the boy had noticed.

However, he seemed to be gazing at Aang with just as much interest, his golden eyes carefully studying his tattoos before sliding down to his grey eyes. "So, you're the one." He said quietly.

"Huh?" Aang wondered aloud.

"Never mind. Just take me to Master Gyatso." The boy said hurriedly as he turned away.

"How do I know you're not an assassin?" Aang asked indignantly.

"I'm not." The boy said, seemingly amused. "I'm much worse." He said and he glanced over his shoulder to smirk at Aang. "Now, stop wasting my time and take me to Gyatso."

"Fine, fine." Aang grumbled, shooting the boy a suspicious look.

He silently led him into the adjoining room and Aang noticed an indescribable tension constantly hanging over them. Aang once again looked at the boy before turning on his heel and slipping into Gyatso's room, only to see that the old man was already wide awake and fully dressed.

"Gyatso, there's someone here to see you." Aang said, even though it was obvious that he already knew.

Nodding in acknowledgement, Gyatso placed a hand on Aang's shoulder and led the two out to the room where the boy was comfortably seated, his curious gaze studying his surroundings. He looked at Aang as he once again entered and a chill ran up the air bender's spine at the intensity of his gaze.

Aang glared back at him and after a few moments, the boy looked away with a small smile playing on his lips. "Master Gyatso." He said as he stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Zuko." The master said as he gestured for him to sit.

A few seconds passed and Zuko glared pointedly at him, but refusing to move, Aang stayed rooted in place. "Aang, why don't you bring some refreshments for our guest?" Gyatso suggested with a smile.

The air bender felt his cheeks growing warm with embarrassment as Zuko's smile widened into a smirk and silently cursing the idiot, he turned on his heel and went towards the kitchen.

* * *

"What news do you bring?" Gyatso asked once Aang had exited the room.

"Well, if Uncle Iroh's sources are correct, she should be here in a fortnight. She's searching the surrounding villages but this one is ordinary enough to evade her attention for now." Zuko said gravely.

"How much does she know?" Gyatso asked.

"Everything." Zuko replied shortly. "Except, of course, that the boy doesn't know he's the Avatar."

The fact seemed to amuse Gyatso and he sat back with a smile on his weary face. "Very well, then."

Zuko nodded quietly and a few seconds passed in silence with only the sounds of Aang working in the kitchen. The fire bender glanced up hesitantly, a frown curving his lips downwards as he considered his thoughts before opening his mouth to speak.

"What is it, prince Zuko?" Gyatso asked with a slight smile.

"It's just that..." The fire bender began. "He seems incredibly immature and naive. Are you certain that he is capable of handling his duties?"

"He may not seem like it, Zuko, but Aang is a very intelligent young boy. He yields the power of all the past Avatars and is already a master air bender with little left for me to teach him." He said with a smile.

"Intelligence is not going to keep him alive." Zuko said bitingly.

"No, you are." Gyatso said with a nod.

The fire bender looked up at Gyatso with a scowl but the old air bender merely replied with a smile. "You should not worry so much about him, Zuko. He is learning fast. In fact, I have already acquired his water bending teacher." The old master said with a reassuring smile.

"I'm not worried about him." The fire bender said defiantly.

"There is nothing wrong with caring, Zuko. In fact, the emotion will only urge you to protect him even more."

The fire bender merely glared at him and was about to say something when Aang entered, balancing a tray on his hand. He placed it on the table in front of Zuko and picking up the cup of tea, held it out for the fire bender.

Zuko took it with a stony expression but Aang pretended not to notice and instead, shot him a sweet smile, causing the fire bender's frown to deepen.

Across from them, Gyatso watched their silent exchange with growing amusement.

* * *

_Second chapter! And I've decided that this fiction is going to be an eventual Zukaang xD  
So, I've modified the plot and summary a little._

_Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and thnx for the reviews :]_

_-Jade258_


	2. Part II: Hope And Trust

**Part II  
Hope And Trust**

The first thing that loomed into Aang's view when he opened his eyes was an all too familiar pair of golden eyes hovering barely a foot away from him. With a yell, he scrambled away from Zuko, who stood up straight with a bored sigh. "Good, you're awake. Let's go." He said matter-of-factly.

"Huh?"

"Is that all you ever do? Say 'huh' and yell like a little girl?" Zuko drawled as he folded his arms across his chest.

Aang's eyes narrowed but the fire bender looked pointedly at Gyatso before turning away. Katara and Sokka were already up, both working diligently to make a fire while Zuko stood there looking at them with undisguised amusement.

Aang slowly got up from his bed and went over to stand beside the two siblings before turning his head to glare at Zuko. "Make a fire." He said firmly.

"And why would I do that?" Zuko asked with raised eyebrows.

"Because you're a fire bender." Aang pointed out snidely.

"Thanks for enlightening me." The fire bender said sarcastically before plopping down on Aang's bed and looking indifferently at him. "Now get dressed. We have work to do." He instructed.

"What work?" Aang asked suspiciously and Zuko turned exasperatedly to Gyatso.

"How am I supposed to train him if he keeps asking questions?" He wondered incredulously.

The air bending master smiled at Zuko before letting his gaze slide to Aang. "I would appreciate it if you listened to Zuko. He is here to help you." Gyatso said calmly.

"Help me? I don't need your he- OW!" Aang began but was cut off as Zuko's hand latched painfully onto the back of his neck. "Get off me!"

"I would only be able to get off you if I were _on_ you in the first place." Zuko pointed out, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

"Gyatso! He's mad." Aang yelled.

"If you can break free of my hold and knock me down, I'll believe that you don't need my help." Zuko drawled. The air bender squirmed uncomfortably in his grasp, a small gasp escaping his lips as Zuko tightened his hold. Aang stilled for a second before kicking back his foot and sending up a gust of wind. Zuko side-stepped it easily and kicked Aang's legs out from before slamming him into the ground. "Oops." He said as he looked down at the air bender with an almost feral grin on his lips.

"Zuko." Gyatso said sternly and the fire bender looked up. "I would appreciate it if you didn't kill him just yet."

Zuko nodded reluctantly before holding out his hand to Aang who was still flat on his back, wheezing for breath. "Now do you need my help?" The fire bender asked with a grin.

Aang glared at him for a few seconds before taking his hand and standing up. "Maybe." He said through gritted teeth.

Zuko raised his eyebrows before letting his hand fall to his side. "Go, clean up." He instructed quietly before turning away.

Aang looked in puzzlement at Zuko's back, wondering if he had a personality disorder or something of the sort. Brushing it off, he went over to the water basin and washed off the dust from his hands, clothes and face. Aang could sense the fire bender's gaze on him again but paid him no heed as he dried off the water dripping down his face with a towel.

He then turned back to Zuko who stood there with arms folded and expression sombre. "Well?" The air bender said with raised eyebrows.

"Come on, then." He instructed and sat down cross-legged on the floor

Aang wiped the confused expression off his face and sat down across from Zuko. "Now what?" He said before the fire bender could even open his mouth.

Annoyance flashed across his face and as he spoke, Aang could hear that he was gritting his teeth. "I was getting to it." He said. When silence followed, he continued. "Well, firstly, I am going to teach you a few breathing exercises. They're typically used only by fire benders but for now, they will enhance your air bending."

Aang paused for a second and Zuko actually thought that when he wasn't going to ask any questions when...

"Why?" He asked, as if it was the most simplest question in the world.

"What do you mean, why?" Zuko snapped irritably.

"I mean, why are you teaching me these exercises. Gyatso could have taught them to me. He's been all over the desert and he's seen everything. So why are you here?" Aang said flatly.

Zuko's glare faltered a bit and he looked uncertainly at Gyatso, who was still perched comfortably on his bed. Noticing the uncharacteristic expression on Zuko's face, Aang at once pounced on it. "What! What are you not telling me? Gyatso, who is he?" He demanded.

Zuko paused for a second before standing up in one swift motion. Aang's eyebrows rose as he examined the grace of his movements and was just in the middle of admiring them when a hand once again latched onto the back of his neck. "OW!" He screeched, the spot still sore from Zuko's previous ministrations.

"You two, get out." The fire bender said coldly to Katara and Sokka.

"Hey! Don't talk like that to my sister." Sokka said defiantly as he stepped in front of her.

"Remember your place, peasant. You're still a slave and so is she. So do as your told. I'm sure you know what they do to disobedient slaves in the west of the desert." Zuko said threateningly.

Sokka and Katara glared at him but they were still slaves and there was nothing they could do about it. Frowning, the two sidled out of the wooden door and shut it behind them.

"You don't have to be so mean to them." Aang piped up angrily.

Ignoring him, he turned to Gyatso. "Tell him everything. Maybe it'll knock some modicum of maturity into him." He said bitingly.

"Zuko, it is not the right time." The air bending master said patiently.

"Tell me? Tell me what?" Aang interjected loudly but was ignored by both of them.

"Gyatso, if you don't tell him now, its merely going to come a liability later on. Who knows what such an emotional shock could do to his bending abilities?" Zuko argued.

"Emotional shock? What are you talking about?" Aang demanded but got no response.

"Zuko, Aang is different from you. There is a major gap between your abilities, even though it may seem that he is very inferior to you. He can handle it, even if you might not have been able to upon your mother's death. You were a child, then." He said quietly.

"So is he." Zuko managed to say and the air bender was shocked by the sudden lack of emotion in his voice. The fire bender's jaw tightened and he turned away for a second, obviously to compose himself. A few seconds passed in a deathly silence before Zuko turned to face them again. "Gyatso, I'm _requesting_ you to tell him the truth." Zuko said through gritted teeth.

"Someone is going to die?" Aang asked shakily, the silence having supplied him with a few seconds to work out Zuko's words.

The fire bender's gaze snapped down to him and Aang couldn't help but cringe at the intensity in his eyes. He tried not to let his discomfort show and instead, averted his eyes to look at Gyatso. "Tell me." He said quietly.

The air bending master sighed in defeat and glanced once at Aang before patting the space beside him. "Sit." He instructed and Aang obliged.

"For the past almost 10 years, we have been practicing nothing but your air bending but the truth is, that you can do so much more than that. You are only fifteen and to tell you now would be to dishonor past traditions. So all I can tell you for now, is that in a few days time, a woman will come looking for you." Gyatso said. "She, in no way, means you anything but harm and so, when that time comes, Zuko will guide you, Katara and Sokka into the desert and you will run."

Aang took a second to register everything he said and his brow furrowed in slight puzzlement as he glanced at Zuko. "What does she want from me? And who is she?"

"She wants your power."

"My power? But I'm just an air bender. I mean, there's lot of those in the eastern part of the desert. What's so special about me?" Aang asked.

Something between a laugh and a groan issued from his right and he turned his head to see Zuko standing there, with the most peculiar of expressions on his face. "He's too innocent and naive." He said, almost sadly.

"Perhaps." Gyatso said quietly before acknowledging Aang's musings. "I cannot answer that question for you, Aang. But your goal is simple. You must go to the Gathering." He said.

A second passed and then Aang burst out laughing. "Oh, come on, Gyatso. Everyone knows that the spirit dervishes don't exist." He said humorously.

"Then, why do you think the fire benders shield the desert from the rest of us so diligently, Aang? If there were no dervishes, they wouldn't bother." Gyatso pointed out seriously.

"Yes, but its just a precaution, isn't it?"

"Perhaps, Aang. But if you do not travel to the Circle, in time for the Gathering, then you'll have to wait another eighty years and I'm afraid that not even someone like you can live so long." Gyatso said.

"But why do I have to go? And why with him?" Aang asked. "In fact, who is he? And why is he here?" He added. "And what do you mean _someone like me_?"

Gyatso merely smiled and then stood up. "He is Zuko. I already told you that, Aang. And he is here to protect you." He said vaguely before turning around and drifting out of the room.

Behind him, Zuko let out a sharp breath and the air bender threw him a puzzled glance. "He was supposed to tell you the whole thing." He grumbled under his breath.

"You know something, right? I'm sure you know lots of things. Tell me!" Aang demanded and in doing so, earned himself a frown from Zuko.

"I don't take orders from you." He said firmly.

"You're here to protect me. So, if I don't know something, it could prove to be harmful, right?" Aang said with an innocent smile.

Zuko's frown deepened even further before he sighed. "I'll tell you something if you promise that you'll learn what I have to teach you." He said as he folded his arms across his chest.

Aang's eyes brightened and he nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course. Come on tell me!" He said eagerly, practically jumping up and down on the spot.

Zuko hesitated for a moment and then stomped forward to stand in front of him. "The woman, who's coming to get you..." He began and Aang leaned forward to listen.

"Yeah, what about her?" Aang whispered conspiratorially.

"She's my sister." He said bluntly.

A few seconds passed in silence and then Aang raised his eyebrows. "So?"

"What do you mean _so_?" Zuko snapped angrily. "I just told you she was my sister. Isn't that another reason for you to dislike me?"

Aang stared up at him for a few seconds and then his lips curved into a small smile. "Well, would you _like_ me to dislike you?" He offered.

Zuko's glare faltered a bit and he bristled uncomfortably before scowling. "What? No! I mean, I didn't mean it like that. But she's my sister! She's coming. And when she does, your life is going to fall apart." He said forcefully.

"It won't." Aang said firmly as he stood up.

"Are you deluded, deaf or just dumb?" Zuko exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Neither. I just know that you'll be here to protect me when she comes." Aang said quietly as his gray eyes inquisitively looked into Zuko's.

The fire bender gaped at the boy, complete and utter surprise painted over his face as he stared down at him. He looked like he was about to say something but nothing except a sharp breath followed, causing Aang to smile.

"Wow, I just made you speechless." He said smugly and all at once, Zuko's expression hardened.

"Idiot." He growled under his breath as he turned away.

Aang chuckled lightly and then got to his feet, walking over to Zuko. "What? Did I embarrass you?" He teased.

Zuko's back stiffened and Aang could tell by the way that his fists were clenched that he had obviously taken it the wrong way. "Look. I'm here to protect you. I'm not your friend, I'm not your play-buddy, I'm not the butt of your jokes, you mean nothing to me nor I to you." He said coldly as he turned around to face Aang.

Stung, the air bender drew back and the previous sparkle from his eyes vanished, his jaw tightening with irritation. "Well, if I mean nothing to you then why are you here?" He challenged.

"I was sent here. Believe me, it wasn't my choice." He said stiffly.

"You're a fire bender, yet you don't seek to kill me and Gyatso. You don't wear anything signifying your affiliation with them. No one turns their back on their people just to come guard a fifteen year old nobody!" Aang snapped.

"You're _not_ a nobody!" Zuko burst out suddenly. "You have no idea who you are, what you can do. You don't know how much hope you give to people." He spat out as he grabbed him by the collar and pulled him forward. "So don't you ever say that you're a nobody!" He hissed venomously.

"I'm Aang, I can air bend. What's so great about that? And I don't give hope to anyone." Aang said angrily.

"Is that honestly what you think?" Zuko said with a bitter laugh. "Agni, you're so stupid and immature. You know nothing!" He said angrily.

"OH? Well, what do YOU know? Who do you know that I give hope to?" Aang challenged.

"You give hope to me!" Zuko yelled suddenly and Aang flinched as if he had been physically assaulted.

"W-what?" Aang spluttered in surprise, his eyes widening comically as he looked at Zuko.

"Nothing. Just shut up." He snapped angrily and let his hand fall to his side.

"Why do I give hope to you?" Aang insisted in a small voice.

Zuko remained silent and then, without another word, wrapped a cloth around his face and made his way towards the front door.

"Hey! Come back!" Aang called as he hurried after him.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away. Hear me?" Zuko said quietly as he flung open the door.

"But-" Aang started but was cut off as Zuko stepped out and slammed the door shut behind him.

* * *

A small sigh slipped through Zuko's lips as he sat up in bed. The night had been a restless one for him and it showed in the slump of his shoulders and the weariness of his face. How he could have been stupid enough to tell the boy that he gave him hope? Now he would probably start asking questions. Agni.

Zuko growled as he pushed the sheets of his body and made his way over to the door, shirtless. He yawned before flinging open the door and walking through the inn corridors. A glance around the main room told him that no one was awake just yet and with an eerie smirk on his face, Zuko pushed open the front door and made his way to the back. A few horses whinnied as he passed by them but the black Arabian horse at the very last remained silent.

Zuko walked up to the mare and lightly stroked its mane, a small smile gracing his lips as he did.

"You'll get sunburn if you walk around without a shirt." A voice suddenly said from behind him and Zuko liked to believe that he didn't jump when he heard it.

He turned around to face Aang who was perched comfortably on a rooftop. "What do you want?" Zuko asked irritably.

"Nothing. Just couldn't sleep." Aang said. "So I decided to pay my favorite fire bender a visit." He said teasingly. His smile, however, faltered as Zuko continued to glare at him and he uncomfortably cleared his throat.

"That's a nice horse." Aang said brightly as he air bended himself off the rooftop and onto the ground beside Zuko.

"Nice? It's not just nice. It's a pure-bred Arabian." He said stiffly.

"Like I said, nice horse." Aang replied with a grin.

"Why are you really here?" Zuko asked tersely as his continued to play with the horse's mane.

Aang however, did not reply and instead, looked at the horse with interest. "Is it a he or a she?" he wondered.

"Female." He said quietly.

"Can I touch her?" Aang asked.

Zuko looked down at the air bender and he couldn't deny that he was surprised. He had suspected that he would touch her without his permission. "I...fine." Zuko said uncertainly.

"You mean it?" Aang wondered in surprise.

"Yeah, I just said so, didn't I? Idiot." Zuko muttered irritably.

"Oh, I just thought that, you know..." Aang began but uncertainly trailed off as he looked up at Zuko. "Never mind." He said hastily and then turned to the mare.

Zuko waited for him to move but he just stood there for several seconds, his shoulders stiff and tense. The mare snorted dismissively at Aang and the fire bender did not miss the slight flinch of fear.

"You don't know how to pet a horse, do you?" Zuko asked with a smirk.

Aang sheepishly looked up at him and a slight blush crept onto his cheeks as he smiled uncertainly. "No?"

"Have you ever been near a horse?" Zuko asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, the traders brought them every now and then." He ventured and blushed even harder as Zuko gaped at him.

"The traders don't let anyone within twenty feet of their horses unless its a potential buyer!" He said exasperatedly.

"Hey!" Aang defiantly cried. "It's not my fault. We've never travelled, Gyatso and I. And besides, most of the people in our village are too poor to buy such...coquettish horses." He said with a shrug.

"Oh..." Zuko echoed thoughtfully and then nodded firmly. "Fine, I'll show you. Give me your hand." He said decisively.

Aang stared up at him in puzzlement but when his golden eyes flicked towards him, he hastily held out his hand. He jumped as Zuko's right hand closed around his own in a firm grip and he could tell, by the slight twitch of the fire bender's lips that he was aware of his discomfort.

"Come on. To let me protect you, you have to trust me." Zuko said quietly and he placed a hand on Aang's shoulder to steer him forward so that his back was facing towards the fire bender.

"But you don't trust me enough to tell me why I give you hope." Aang said accusingly.

Ignoring him, Zuko guided his hand towards the horse's mane. He felt a tremor run through the air bender's spine and sighed quietly. "Don't be afraid." He said quietly.

"I'm not afraid!" He said defiantly but Zuko did not miss the slight tremble in his voice.

"Just don't hesitate. She doesn't like wusses. Make the strokes firm and self-assured but gentle at the same time. Got it?" Zuko murmured into his ear.

"Sure..." Aang replied and the fire bender felt another shiver run down his spine.

"Don't be afraid. She won't hurt you." He said reassuringly.

"But you just said she doesn't like wusses." Aang replied, somewhat shrilly.

"Are you saying you're a wuss?" Zuko asked with a smirk.

"No, I just-"

"Then what's the problem?" He echoed.

Aang remained silent and then with a sigh, allowed Zuko to guide his hand forwards again. The fire bender felt him jump as his fingers grazed against the soft mane and with a smile, he began to move it from left to right. "See? It's easy." Zuko said softly.

"Yeah, it kinda is." Aang said and as Zuko felt his giddy laugh reverberate through his own body, he realized that his chest was pressed firmly against the boy's back. With an uncomfortable clear of his throat, he inched backward slightly and fortunately, the air bender did not notice.

A short silence followed in which the fire bender slowly guided Aang's hand across the horse's mane while the creature whinnied in delight. Zuko was just getting used to the comfortable silence when Aang suddenly spoke.

"Zuko?"

"Hm?" He hummed in reply.

"Why do I give you hope?" He asked quietly.

"Just let it go." Zuko replied angrily.

"No, I won't. You said yourself that I have to trust you but how can I do that when you don't even bother to trust me?" He said loudly.

Zuko growled angrily and another shiver ran down Aang's spine. "Don't twist my words." He snapped.

"I'm not twisting anything!" He protested. "Your words were clear. You told me to trust you. Now I'm telling you to trust me."

"Trust, trust, trust! Don't throw around words like that." Zuko snapped angrily.

"Why? You do it too!" He accused irritably.

"No, I don't! I meant what I said."

"Then you should know that I won't trust you unless you trust me." Aang said firmly.

A long silence followed in which Zuko let go of Aang's hand and stepped away. The air bender didn't have to look at him to know that he was scowling. "Fine, then. If you're so determined to believe that I'm your guardian angel, I'll tell you." He snapped angrily and Aang turned around to face him with a smile on his face.

"That's an improvement." He said happily.

"Don't push it, air bender." Zuko said angrily.

With a roll of his eyes, Aang air bended himself onto the roof and gestured for Zuko to follow. He half expected the fire bender to refuse and so, was surprised when he nimbly climbed up the low wall to stand beside him. The air bender comfortably perched himself onto the roof and Zuko mirrored his actions.

Another silence followed before the fire bender hesitantly began.

"Have you ever heard of Prince Zuko?" He asked quietly.

"Um, yeah, sure." Aang replied.

"Then you must know of how he was burnt and banished for speaking out of turn three years ago." He continued.

"Well, it took ages for the news to reach us here but yes, we heard eventually. Why?" Aang wondered.

"You figure it out." He said bitterly as he turned his head to look out towards the dusty horizon.

A few seconds passed in silence and then he heard Aang chuckle quietly. Annoyed, Zuko's head snapped towards him, his golden eyes burning with anger. "What's so funny?" He snapped.

"It's just that.." Aang began. "You're being so melodramatic." He said.

"Melodramatic?" Zuko repeated testily.

"Yeah. I already knew you were Prince Zuko from the western regions." He said as he tilted his head to the right.

"What?" Zuko asked, his eyes widening in surprise as he stared at Aang.

"Yeah. I know that I should be offended that you obviously underestimate me so much but I'm not. You're just silly, Zuko." Aang said with a cheery grin.

"I'm not silly!" He said irritably.

"Yes, you are." Aang said.

"No I-" Zuko began but was cut off as Aang loudly began.

"Don't change the subject." He said pointedly. "Now, why do I give you hope?"

Zuko frowned at him for several seconds and then, turned his head away. "It doesn't matter." He muttered.

"It matters to me!" Aang protested.

"Just, please, okay? That's my business." Zuko said stiffly as he stood up.

"No, its not! Your business is my business and my business is yours!" Aang said accusingly.

"Yeah, yeah. Because I'm your bodyguard." Zuko snapped tiredly and before Aang could utter another word, he slid off the roof and landed neatly on the ground.

"Yes! Exactly." Aang said as he followed.

"Well, my duties aren't in effect just yet. Okay? I'm only your bodyguard when you're in danger." Zuko said as he began to make his way towards the front door of the inn.

"That's completely unfair!" Aang yelled as he hurried after him.

"No, it's not." Zuko said and quickened his step.

"Fine, then. Be that way." Aang said snidely and Zuko stopped at the tone of his voice.

"That's it?" He asked disbelievingly.

"No, it's not." Aang said smugly. "If you're my bodyguard then you obviously can't stand around and watch while someone threatens my life." He said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"No, I can't." Zuko said cautiously.

"Good, then." Aang said as he took a step backward. "Let's think of this as a test run, okay? I want to check if you're up to my standards." He said with a grin.

"Up to your standards? I'M ROYALTY!" Zuko roared angrily as he advanced towards him.

"Then, this shouldn't be too hard for you." Aang said and before Zuko knew it, he had turned on his heel and ran off at an inhuman speed.

Dust flew up into the air around him and Zuko at once broke into a run. Being an air bender, Aang would obviously be able to move much more faster than him and he also knew the village streets better but Zuko believed that he was stronger. The boy had no stamina as far as he could tell and so, he just needed to get to a higher point to keep him in his sight.

With that plan set in mind, Zuko turned sharply into an alley and with a powerful burst of fire, launched himself into the air. He landed neatly on a rooftop and at once began to run. If the huge clouds of dust moving swiftly through the village streets were any indication, then Aang was in no way trying to be discreet.

Zuko was completely fine with that.

Until he saw the air bender break through the boundaries of the village. His golden eyes widened as he saw him heading out towards the desert and with an enraged yell, he ran.

Zuko ran faster than he had ever run and slowly but steadily, the last rooftop at the very outskirts of the village appeared. He haphazardly jumped off it, rolled onto the ground and sprang up without losing a beat.

"Aang, you IDIOT! Come back!" He yelled as he continued towards the dust cloud. It took him several minutes to realize but when he did, he felt a most alien feeling sinking into his chest. Zuko was used to feeling tired, of course. Pain was no problem either, when you had your eye almost burned off at the age of thirteen.

But fear?

How Zuko absolutely hated that feeling.

Unfortunately for him, that was what desperately clawed at him as he made his way towards Aang's figure which had come to a halt. He was within ten feet of him but even from there, he could see that the air bender's shoulders were tense, his gaze fixed at a certain point on the horizon.

Aang had barely begun to move a limb, however, when Zuko slammed hard into him from behind. With a yell, he went down and the two skidded messily across the desert floor, sand flying up around them.

Groaning in pain, Aang attempted to stand up but that thought barely jumped into his mind when a strong hand grabbed him from behind and slammed him hard onto his back. He tried to struggle but Zuko firmly straddled him, his face contorted with rage.

"What is WRONG with you?" He yelled into his face. "Don't you know the fire benders have sentries posted in this area? They're instructed to KILL ON SIGHT, YOU IDIOT!" Zuko hollered. "To even come within TWO MILES of this boundary is suicide!" He said angrily and Aang flinched as his fist landed firmly in the sand beside him.

"Yeah, but now you HAVE to tell me why I give you hope. Because you just protected me!" Aang said smugly.

"Do you think this is a _joke_?" Zuko exasperatedly asked. "If you had even set foot into that plain, their catapults would have killed you instantly. You're an idiot to even come _near_ this place!" He said and his hand slid down to grab Aang's shirt.

"Whatever!" The air bender said and with a strong burst of air, pushed Zuko off him.

"Don't show me attitude, air bender. I've seen more horrible things than most people see in a lifetime. And I don't want to see your charred corpse lying in some rotten plain in the middle of nowhere." Zuko snapped angrily.

"Oh, so you _would_ like to see my charred corpse? Just not here, is that it?" Aang said snidely as he turned around to face Zuko.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. A spirit like yours doesn't die an unspectacular death." Zuko said coldly.

"Why do you do that?" Aang suddenly snapped.

"Do what?" Zuko spat out irritably.

"Act like you're a million years older than me and treat me like a five year old." Aang said.

"Because I am more mature than you could _ever_ hope to be. And as long as you don't see the things I have, I'd much rather that you stay the immature brat that you are." Zuko said stiffly.

"You're doing it again!" Aang yelled exasperatedly.

Zuko sighed and then turned away. "Look, you don't know what's going to happen when she comes. You could never even begin to imagine it. Just stop acting like an idiot because the sooner you grow up, the better chance you have at survival. Got it?" He said tiredly.

"Tell me, then! Tell me what will happen when your sister comes along." Aang said angrily.

"You _really_ want to know?" Zuko asked with a bitter smile.

"Yes!" Aang said exasperatedly.

"I'll tell you, then." Zuko said as he stepped forward. "When my sister comes, she'll rip your life into a thousand tiny pieces and stomp on it. She'll destroy everything you've ever loved. She'll kill Gyatso. She'll torture your slave friends. She'll kill everyone in your village if she wants to. And after that? After that, your only way to survive will be to go into the desert to the dervishes. If you don't, she'll massacre everyone in the desert if she has to. She'll scour the sands for you. She'll do anything to get you in her clutches and when she does..." Zuko said and paused, a bitter smirk curving his lips upwards. "Let's just hope she doesn't." He said and looked away, his golden eyes hard and expression guarded.

Several minutes passed in silence and Zuko tiredly sighed before moving to walk away. However, a loud sniff stopped him. His eyes widened comically as he turned around to face Aang and his eyes fell on the tears streaming down the air bender's face.

"She'll kill Gyatso?" He asked tearfully and Zuko flinched as his voice broke.

"I-I didn't mean to say that." The fire bender said as he backed away from the crying boy.

"NO! You just said she would kill Gyatso." Aang said as he cried even harder.

"Look. I don't know if she will. Just stop crying." Zuko said uncomfortably.

"B-But you said she would kill him. And you don't joke!" Aang said and hiccuped.

"For Agni's sake, just STOP IT!" Zuko cried exasperatedly.

"But you're supposed to protect me. Won't you protect Gyatso too?" Aang asked, tears still streaming down his face.

"Look, I don't know if he'll let me protect him. I'm only here for you, okay. Just please, Aang. Stop crying." Zuko said almost pleadingly.

Abruptly the air bender's head shot up and his tear-filled eyes stared disbelievingly at Zuko. "What did you say?" He asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"I said that he might not let me prot-" Zuko began but was cut off as Aang stepped forward.

"No! You called me Aang." He said with raised eyebrows.

"So?" Zuko asked in puzzlement.

"Well, you were calling me air bender the rest of the time but I don't know if that was because you were just not fond of me or because that's what you call people. But probably not, since Katara is a water bender and you call her peasant. Either way though..." Aang said and Zuko turned away to conceal the smile tugging at his lips.

"I see you're okay now. Come on, let's go." Zuko said as he began to make his way towards the village again.

Aang stared for several seconds and sheepishly wiped his face before hurrying after him. "Sorry about that..." He muttered as a blush crept onto his cheeks.

Zuko's eyebrows raise and he uncomfortably shrugged. "It's no problem. Though I'd prefer if you didn't do that too often." He muttered in embarrassment.

"Uh, yeah. Sure thing." Aang said and looked away as he felt Zuko's golden eyes flick towards him.

The two walked back in silence for several seconds before Zuko abruptly spoke.

"I don't know if she'll really kill him. But since he's one of the last air benders alive, she might just do it." Zuko said bitterly.

"It doesn't matter. Gyatso's not really young, is he?" Aang said in what he hoped was a light-hearted tone.

"Don't do that." Zuko snapped irritably.

"Do what?" Aang asked in puzzlement.

"Pretend like you don't care. I know how much you love Gyatso and how much he loves you. You're like a son to him." Zuko said and Aang did not miss the bitterness in his voice.

"Does that bother you?" He wondered curiously.

"Why would it bother me?" Zuko snapped.

Aang shrugged and another silence ensued. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Zuko was limping slightly and hurriedly glanced at him once before surveying his own appearance. Being fully clothed, he was in a much better condition than the fire bender, whose chest glinted with sweat and was smeared with sand. He, however, seemed not to mind and every now and then, shook out the sand which rapidly settled in his hair.

A few more seconds and then Aang spoke.

"We will take Katara and Sokka with us, right?" He asked in a small voice.

Zuko cast him a sideways glance and then shrugged dismissively. "I was not assigned to protect them." He said quietly.

"Yes but-" He began but was cut off as Zuko held up a hand.

"Technically, I take orders from you so if you tell me to protect them, I will. But I won't always be there." He said quietly.

"Oh? You'd really listen to me?" Aang asked disbelievingly.

"I would have to. You're one of the most powerful beings alive." Zuko muttered with a smile.

"I am?" Aang wondered, dumbfounded.

"Yes. The dervishes will tell you everything." He said.

Aang frowned in wonderment and then quickened his step to keep up with Zuko. "Why do you believe in the dervishes so avidly?" He asked.

Zuko paused for a second and then shrugged. "I'm not sure that I do." He said simply. "But they're the only just beings in this desert. All the rest, they're tainted. Revenge, hatred, anger, jealousy. It plagues all the rest of us but they're the epitome of purity." He said quietly.

"But the stories say that they gave knowledge to tyrants and thieves. The stories say that they didn't know the value of knowledge and just gave it out like it were nothing." Aang said.

"All stories created by the fire benders." Zuko said bitterly. "The dervishes are thousands of years old, Aang. They are more wise than all of us combined." He said.

"Oh..." Aang said thoughtfully, one hand reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He fell silent after that but every now and then, he would glance inquisitively at Zuko and then hurriedly look away when the fire bender's golden eyes flicked towards him. After a few minutes of the same thing, the fire bender sighed.

"What?" Zuko asked sharply.

"I was wondering..." He promptly replied. "You told me what your sister would do to me, Katara, Sokka and Gyatso. But what about you?"

"I know my sister and I know how her sick mind works. I can outsmart her, if I have to." He said shortly.

"Oh, good then." Aang said as they entered the village boundaries.

The two silently continued towards Aang's house and by the time they finally reached it, the sun had fully risen into the sky and the streets were beginning to bustle with life. As they came to a halt beside the door, Aang turned to face the fire bender.

He hesitated for several seconds and Zuko spent that time carefully studying his guarded expression and downcast eyes. "You don't have to be afraid of my sister. She can't do anything to you." He said softly.

"But you'll be so far away in that inn. What if she comes in the night?" Aang asked worriedly.

"Eventually, you'll learn that you don't need me to survive. But if it's any consolation, I'm going to be staying here until..." Zuko began but trailed off as Aang's gray eyes met his.

"Until she comes..." The air bender finished for him and a gloomy sigh followed.

"Tell Gyatso I'll be here by sunset, okay? I have to take care of a few things until then." He said.

Aang hesitantly nodded and then turned to the door with another sigh. Zuko bristled uncomfortably and then awkwardly placed a hand on the air bender's shoulder. He felt his muscles tense underneath his touch and then slowly relax. "Don't be afraid." He said firmly and then, before Aang could even move a limb, he had turned on his heel and made his way down the street.

* * *

_Lol, so this is back! :D I was just skimming through the reviews and that kinda inspired me so I felt obligated to restart this. Enjoy this super long chapter since, you know, I couldn't really cut it in half and also because we're back after a long break  
To **new moongirl**: No, Sokka doesn't know that Aang's the Avatar :] I'd just imagine that he'd be peeved about having to serve a boy his own age  
**FablerPheonix**: Thank youu! ^_^ And no sorry, xD Zuko's not bald..He has hair like the one in season 3 only a tad bit shorter since he looks kinda emo with all that hair hanging into his face :P But thats just my opinion xD  
**newXmoonXfox**: Nah, feel free to badger me :P Although if the muse hits, you won't need to :D And thank you! ^_^_

_**NOTE 1:** Okay, so in chapter two I mentioned that Aang pulled the bed out into the yard..Now I frankly have no idea how much you guys might know about Arab houses but they're actually quite simple and very airy. Well, they were at one point. Now, everyone's got way too much money on their hands xD. So, to clear things up a bit [i hope] I'd suggest that you take a look at this pic [without the spaces]: http : / i521 . photobucket . com / albums / w336 / Wawpness /  
I think it might help you guys visualize the whole scene a bit better :] And if Zuko jumping onto walls and rooftops so easily puzzles you a bit, then in most typical villages [the ones I've seen and the typical house structure here where I live], the walls are pretty low. Also! The pic in the house is considerably modern so I'd say that the door would be wooden, the walls rough and brown-ish and the yard, very unadorned but large :]  
**NOTE 2:** No one in Aang's village knows that he and Gyatso are air benders since the genocide still happened but on a bit of a smaller scale. As for the nations, they don't exist. They're just divided into tribes and are just known as fire benders, water benders, air bender, earth benders and sand benders. The water benders, I imagine, would live in the east of the desert [that would be the eastern coast of present day Saudi Arabia]. The earth benders largely populate the whole desert so they're just scattered everywhere. Fire benders are mostly concentrated a few hundred miles off the western coast of present day Saudi Arabia, near the Persian Gulf. Air benders, are also scattered but very thinly. Most of them reside as far away from the fire benders as possible._

_Lol, I hope I didn't bore you :P Hope you enjoyed this chapter and do leave a review! I worked quite hard on this chapter ^_^_

_-Jade258_


	3. Part III: The Paying of a Visit

**Part III  
The Paying of a Visit **

"Gyatso!" Aang yelled as he pushed the front door shut behind him. "Gyatso! Where are you?" He called out as he trudged into the kitchen. As he entered, he was met with the sight of Katara leaning almost all of her weight onto the water pump. Her face was red with exertion - and possibly frustration - and her fingers had gone pale from where they were gripping the handle. She did not seem pleased.

"Stop shouting. Gyatso's gone to the marketplace with Sokka to get some saffron, even though the idiot should have stayed here and pumped some water." Katara said as she huffed and let go of the water pump.

"Do you need some help?" Aang offered with a smile.

"Yes, I do." Katara replied irritably.

"Okay, then." Aang said as his lips curved into an amused grin.

"Sorry!" Katara burst out. "It's just that, it was Sokka's turn to pump the water and he didn't even have the decency to help!" She said, her voice rising with each word.

"Calm down, Katara. Here, we'll do it together." He brightly said as he stepped forward.

"But you're not strong enough." Katara pointed out.

"Doesn't matter. We just need a little bending. That's all." Aang said. "You put your hands around the handle and then, when you push, I'll make the air do the same." He said brightly.

"Okay, then. If you say so." Katara said as she grasped the handle before pushing down with a grunt of exertion. Aang took the small amount of time that Katara was successfully able to put as much force as possible onto the handle without tiring, to pull his hands up to his chest. The water bender was just shooting him an inquisitive glance when Aang suddenly thrust his hands down to his torso.

Katara gasped as the handle lurched downwards and Aang barely managed to prevent her from hitting her head on the metal. "And there!" He said as he let his arms fall to his side.

There was a pause and then, Katara turned to Aang with an amused smile on her lips. "Aang, do you even know how a water pump works?" She asked.

"Sure. You push down and the water flows out."

"Yes, but you have to push down again and again. Don't you and Gyatso ever use this thing?" She wondered.

"Well, not really." Aang said with a sheepish smile. "But it doesn't matter. We'll go get some from the well. Come on."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the village, Zuko had just cleaned the grime off his body and was now, scowling behind the cloth secured around his face. The marginal amount of heat the day before had only lasted throughout the night and now, the air was stuffy and humid. Every exhale seemed to prompt more and more sweat drops to form on Zuko's skin and he was trying hard not to rip the cloth from around his face and burn it into a million particles.

Instead, he was forced to walk down the street with his cloth garnering unnecessary attention from surrounding people. He could see now that it was unusual for people in this particular village to be so afraid of getting burnt. Instead, they were fair but oddly resistant to the heat.

Damn their stupid complexions.

Zuko, now thoroughly irritated, turned into another street and walked several paces before slipping into an alley. Even though the walls were low and the heat left no place un-searched, the shade provided some sort of relief from the glaring sunlight and Zuko gratefully pulled the cloth off his face, allowing it to trail down his shoulder. Now in a considerably better mood, Zuko set down the alley at a brisk pace. The sides were lined with several doors but the fire bender passed by each and every one of them. At last, barely six feet away from the mouth of the alley, Zuko turned to his right and knocked twice on a plain wooden door.

There was a long pause and then, finally it was thrown open to reveal a slim girl, with green eyes and brown hair. "Good morning, Zuko." She said softly.

"Lee, Jin. My name is Lee." Zuko reminded quietly as she stepped aside to let him through.

"Oh, sorry." She said with a smile.

"It's fine." Zuko said as he stepped in and shut the door behind him. The room that he had stepped into was a small, cramped kitchen with a low roof. Several pots and pans sat to one side of the room and a large fire-pit had been dug into the ground. A pot currently simmered above it. The room was unglamorous and a small girl was crouched beside the pot, poking at the contents every now and then.

"So, where is he?" Zuko asked as his golden eyes swept the room one last time before resting on Jin.

"Next room. He's trying to make tea with the 'atrociously meager quality of tea-leaves' in my shop." Jin said with a roll of his eyes. "I swear, he's gotten ruder since the last time he was here."

"No, he's just getting old. And creaky." Zuko said with a wry smile.

"Well, go on. He's been waiting for you all night." Jin said before sauntering over to the fire-pit and taking the spoon from the little girl's hand.

"Thank you, Jin." Zuko said as he nodded once at her before crossing the room and pushing open the only door.

A few steps forward brought him to a simple, yet cozy sitting room. "Prince Zuko!" A voice suddenly burst out from across the room and Zuko's lips twitched as he turned to face his uncle.

"Uncle," He said with a small smile.

"Well, haven't you gotten taller?" Iroh wondered aloud from where he was nestled in the plushy folds of an armchair.

"Uncle, it's only been ten days since we last saw each other," Zuko dryly pointed out as he made his way towards the chair across from his Uncle's.

"I know, I know. But time passes by quickly," Iroh said dramatically.

"Jin told me you were making tea." Zuko said with raised eyebrows.

"I was. But there were no tea leaves. I really ought to have brought my own supply," Iroh said mournfully.

"Right." Zuko said as he took a seat and stared quietly at his Uncle.

"Well..." Iroh said as he leaned forward. "How's Gyatso?" He asked brightly.

"He's fine." Zuko replied shortly and before Iroh could say anything, he cut him off. "I thought you were supposed to wait at the main city. Why are you here?" Zuko asked sharply.

"Curiosity." Iroh replied airily.

"Oh, really now?"

"Yes, nephew!" Iroh insisted. "It is merely a dying man's last wish to see the Avatar before he passes."

"Uncle, you're not going to die." Zuko said irritably. "And the Avatar is nothing impressive."

"Really? How so?" Iroh wondered.

"He's not particularly bright. And is ridiculously trusting." Zuko said dryly.

"That's why he has you." Iroh said. "Yet..."

"What?" Zuko wondered.

"There was a disruption, in the village. Early this morning. Perhaps you've heard, Prince Zuko." Iroh said with a disapproving look.

"That wasn't my fault!" Zuko said indignantly. "He's reckless. And immature."

"That may be so, nephew, but for him to be drawing attention to himself so early could prove to be harmful." Iroh said.

"But he doesn't listen!"

"Ah, Zuko." Iroh said dramatically and the younger boy's eyebrows rose expectantly.

However, when his uncle did not say anything more, he sat back in his seat with an annoyed huff. The two lapsed into silence for several minutes before Iroh spoke, his voice grave.

"They've increased security in surrounding villages. She's near."

"Oh..." Zuko said quietly.

"When she does come, Zuko-"

"It's not a showdown. My priority is to protect the Avatar and I shall only battle Azula if the need befalls me." Zuko recited dully. "I remember."

Iroh paused before a small smile tugged at his lips and he shook his head slightly. "Very well. You can leave now. If Azula does not arrive by tomorrow, I will send a messenger. Send a written update, concise and coded through him and I will pass it onto the main city." Iroh said quietly.

"I will." Zuko said as he got to his feet. He reached up a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow and was just about to turn away when a thought struck him.

The fire bender hesitantly bit his lip before looking at his Uncle. "When will I see you again?" He asked quietly.

"I would tell you soon but if I did, then that would be a lie." Iroh said with a small smile.

Zuko took a moment to process the information and once he was sure that disappointment did not show on his face, he spoke. "What about when Azula comes? Will you help me drive her off?"

"I will not." Iroh said.

"Why?" Zuko asked irritably.

"Because you are fully capable of handling her yourself." Iroh said.

"Yeah, I suppose that's why she almost intercepted me three months ago." Zuko muttered under his breath.

"I feel that that was stupidity on both of your parts. She should have known that you wouldn't let a prostitute fool you and you should have known that it was her doing and not taken the opportunity to 'relax'." Iroh said with a rather derisive snort.

"We never did anything! I was just telling the stupid whore to back off when she pulled a dagger on me." Zuko muttered with an embarrassed blush.

"I'm sure." Iroh said with an amused smile.

Zuko merely shot his Uncle a glare, even though the effect was quite ruined as his blush refused to subside. After several moments, however, the fire bender gruffly cleared his throat and wiped the sheepish look off his own face.

"Take care of the Avatar, nephew." Iroh said firmly.

"I know, Uncle. That's the only reason I'm here." Zuko said irritably.

"No, Zuko. You must protect him with your life. This isn't about proving yourself to the White Lotus and it most certainly isn't about the money. Your only objective should be to keep Azula away from him and him away from Azula. Keep an eye on those slaves as well. I do trust Gyatso's judgement but there must be no exceptions. Anyone could be a spy." Iroh said seriously.

"They hardly seem like the type but..." Zuko said hastily as Iroh shot him a warning look. "I'll keep an eye on them. Don't worry, Uncle."

* * *

"Aang, we're wasting our time!" Katara said as she looked up at the air bender from where she was sitting on their overturned pitcher.

"I know. But we need water so that we can cook." Aang said as he absentmindedly bent the air around them to keep circulating, so as to keep both of them from suffering the full extent of the desert heat.

The air bender was just busy maneuvering the air currents around the people surrounding them so that he could make Katara's chocolate brown tresses twist in on themselves in funny shapes when someone bumped into him hard. The air bender lurched forward with a yell and just caught sight of a masked figure standing behind him when his face met the ground beneath him, abruptly muffling his shout.

"What are you? Blind?" Katara said irritably as Aang groaned and rolled over onto his back.

"No, just irritated." Zuko drawled as he glared down at the water bender.

"Oh, hey, Zuko!" Aang said brightly as he sat up and wiped the sand off his face.

"You'd be able to play with your friend's hair better if you controlled the currents more with your breath, rather than your fingers." Zuko said.

"Oh." Aang said as his face scrunched up in curiosity. "How do I do that?" He wondered.

"Well, getting onto your feet would help." Zuko muttered irritably.

There was a pause and then, chuckling, Aang pushed himself off the ground and onto his feet. "So..." Aang said expectantly.

"Inhale first." Zuko said as he placed his hand on Katara's shoulder and steered her to stand in front of the air bender. She roughly pushed his hand off and the fire bender pretended not to notice as she shot him a filthy glare. "Inhale, Aang." He repeated as the air bender continued to stare at him.

"Oh, yeah. Inhaling." Aang said as he closed his eyes and sucked in a breath.

"Through your nose!" Zuko said exasperatedly.

"Okay, okay, sorry." Aang sheepishly said as he inhaled through his nose.

"Now exhale through your mouth and at the same time, try to maneuver the air with as less gestures as possible. If you can, use only your fingers. Not your wrists." Zuko said.

"Okay." Aang said.

"Hide your hand." Zuko said sharply.

"But why?"

"Someone might see.' Zuko said as his eyes swept the line behind him.

"I doubt anyone's interested in watching." he said with a shrug.

"Those who're looking for you will be very interested."

"Oh, um, okay then." Aang said as he pulled his sleeve down over his wrist and raised his hand. Zuko's eyes flickered between his hand and Katara's head, his lips curving into a smile as several of the tresses rose before dropping.

'That was-' Zuko began but cut himself off as an air current lazily skimmed his cheek and then the back of his neck before proceeding to his forehead, ruffling up all of his hair in the process. 'What are you doing?' he asked with raised eyebrows.

'Practicing.' Aang said with a bright smile.

'You mean showing off. Put your hand down.' Zuko said.

'You were the one who told him to do it.' Katara said snidely.

'On you, not me.' Zuko said with a glare.

'It looks better that way.' Aang said, grinning.

'No, it doesn't.' Zuko said.

'But you can't even see it.' Aang said with a pout.

'I don't need to see it to tell that it looks awful.' Zuko said as he reached up to pat it down. However, his fingers had barely grazed the strands of his hair when Aang flicked his wrist and his hand lurched to the side.

The air bender smiled widely, unperturbed by Zuko's murderous look. 'Don't do that.' Zuko said warningly.

'Why not? It's not like you're going to hurt me.' Aang said as he waggled his eyebrows.

Zuko faltered and despite the fact that Aang's lips widened into a smile, he couldn't bring himself to shake off the fact that the air bender bore a striking resemblance to Azula when she decided to become charming. It was only once the silence stretched on for more than two minutes that Aang looked worriedly at him. 'Um, Zuko... Are you okay?' he asked softly.

'Yes, fine.' Zuko said sharply.

'Well, I didn't mean to offend you, just so you know. Feel free to hurt me whenever you want.' Aang said with a sheepish smile

And then something absurd happened. Zuko wasn't particularly sure if it was because the air bender didn't seem like he'd altogether understood how serious he'd sounded or maybe that he did understand and still managed to smile - but then the fire bender was chuckling.

It wasn't particularly spectacular, since it took him entirely two seconds to realize it and immediately shut his mouth - and also because his laugh sounded hoarse and creaky, like someone with a sore throat - but for some reason, it made Aang's eyes light up like he'd seen a rain cloud.

'Wow, you can laugh!' Katara said in astonishment.

'Of course, he can laugh.' Aang said happily.

'You just caught me off guard.' Zuko said curtly.

'You looked pretty alert to me.' Katara said with a smug smile.

'Shut up.' Zuko said but the effect was quite ruined as he felt the heat rush to his cheeks.

Aang's smile did not even falter but if anything, grew ever wider as he and Katara exchanged a glance. Zuko merely shook his head and sighed. 'Don't wander around once you're done.' he said before stepping out of line and making his way down the street.

* * *

_Well, there you go.  
I won't make any excuses except the fact that I kind of lost interest in this story :P But that was then and now its back and I hope to be punctual with it if seems like anyone's still reading it. I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be up and I haven't written it yet but it'll detail some of Zuko's past and the events leading up to how he joined the White Lotus and met Aang. Hopefully, that should clear things up a bit._

_To **dragonmaster**: I really appreciate your feedback but I doubt that I won't make this a Zukaang. But I have taken what you've said about Sokka and Katara into consideration and the next few chapters will deal mostly with character development._

_So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to review! :D_

_-Cerise_


	4. Part IV: Eyes That Glowed Blue

**Part IV  
Eyes That Glowed Blue **

Zuko was eight when he truly understood the look in Azula's eyes whenever she looked at him or his mother. He hadn't assumed anything at first, just that she might have been having a bad day or something. He'd asked his mother, tried to put words to her expression but he hadn't been able to. The thought didn't seem impossible, it was just unlikely.

After all, he couldn't imagine anyone looking at their siblings with such disdain and degradation.

It didn't take him too long to realize that he'd been wrong. Suddenly, every thing that Azula seemed to be, without a doubt, meant to either please her father or tease Zuko. By the time he was eleven, Zuko couldn't spend two minutes in the same room as her without garnering one remark or another. Most of the time it wasn't even about him and that was what made it even more sickening.

'You know...' she began one afternoon when the two of them had been forced into one room to do their homework. 'I bet Mother's been with someone else all along.'

Zuko did not reply. Azula had a habit of starting whenever he was trying his hardest to concentrate.

'Do you think its Uncle? She always does talk so fondly about him. It's almost as if she can't even bear the thought of his death.'

'Maybe that's because she actually cares about family.' Zuko said through gritted teeth.

She ignored him. 'Or maybe its some common whore. I wouldn't put it past her. After all, she likes _you_, doesn't she? Yes, it's probably some common whore she picked up off the streets.' Azula said with a derisive smirk. 'I bet your room is nice and private. They probably use your bed.'

'That's disgusting.' Zuko hissed angrily.

'But reasonable. There's no chance of Father ever coming across your room. I bet he doesn't even know where it is.' Azula said and her laughter rang in Zuko's ears as she pushed back her chair and sauntered off before he could.

He had tried to brush off her words but each time he looked at his door, he couldn't help but wonder if his father knew where it was. If he'd ever known.

* * *

Pain was a hazard that every fire bender faced. No one ever got through their fire bending training without getting burned at least once and Zuko could recall countless times when his mother had kissed away his tears and whispered reassurances into his ears as she applied the salve onto his wounds. Each and every time.

She was never impatient even though it happened nearly every week. And eventually, Zuko began to thrive off the feeling of having her gather him into her arms and gently apply the salve and bandage his wounds. Even when his burns were beyond her expertise and she had to summon a healer, she would never leave his side.

Until, the year Ozai burned him. Then, she wasn't there. She wasn't there to whisper reassurances or stroke his hair or kiss his forehead. And it wasn't the pain in his eye that kept him up those nights. It was the feeling that someone had torn apart his heart, even more cruelly than his father had bent fire at him. It was knowing that he had a family yet still feeling like the loneliest person on the planet.

* * *

The day he left, Azula surprised him by coming down into the courtyard to see him off. It had made him consider, just for a second, that there might have been some time, a few precious months in their childhood - after Zuko had gotten over the jealousy of having someone take the attention from him and before his father had gotten his hands on Azula - when they'd actually loved each other, been brother and sister and not just some gross perversion of the term.

The last time he saw her that day, she'd smirked at him. And Zuko's heart had wrenched. Not because it infuriated him but because he knew that in sending him away, his father had sealed Azula's fate. There was nothing that anyone could do any more to save her from becoming just like her father, if not worse.

Zuko had never felt more sorry for his sister.

* * *

Once he left the Fire Nation Palace with Iroh, Zuko placed his life into his Uncle's hands. He had never invested so much in one person before, not even his mother.

He had been reckless then but his Uncle hadn't let him down. Iroh had been with him when he'd gone to Ozai's study to hand over his head piece and say goodbye. He was the one who led him across the desert and away from his home. Nightmares began to plague him, visions of fire, his mother's tears the night she'd said goodbye to him, Azula's smirk. They swam around in his head until all three of them merged into one terrifying burst of fire that shot towards him. Closer and closer, until he woke up screaming.

That was when his Uncle began telling him stories about the Avatar. One each night until he couldn't stop thinking about the Avatar, a being so powerful that he could turn mountains to dust with one flick of his hand. He was faceless to Zuko; sometimes a man, sometimes a woman. A child. Brown-haired. Green-eyed. Black-haired. Blue-eyed.

In the end, Zuko supposed the stories helped. Eventually, the nightmares receded until all he ever dreamed about was eyes that glowed blue.

* * *

The moment he laid eyes on the earth benders' main city, Zuko knew that there was a reason that his Uncle had brought him there. He was smart enough to know that if his Uncle wanted him to start a new life, he would have taken him to a smaller town, maybe even a village so that the Fire Lord wouldn't be able to keep tabs on him.

But one look at the bustling marketplaces, the colours, the people, the _life _and Zuko just knew. Two months passed before his Uncle finally brought it up.

'You ought to find a job, Zuko. I'm sure that there are many places looking for a talented, young man like you.' Iroh said one morning as he poured them both a cup of tea.

'I'm not interested in a job, especially not one in this dump.' Zuko muttered.

'Well, how about a job elsewhere?' Iroh said and Zuko's eyes flickered toward him, his eyebrows raised.

'Like where?' Zuko asked as he brought the tea cup to his lips.

'Everywhere.' Iroh said, his voice light even though his eyes carefully studied Zuko's face.

'I don't want to be a trader.' Zuko said flatly.

'That wasn't quite what I had in mind.' Iroh said coyly and with a chuckle, added. 'And despite your many talents, nephew, I'm afraid that you don't quite have the...people skills to be a trader.'

* * *

That same evening, Iroh had taken Zuko to the flower shop. At first glance, it had seemed normal and his Uncle's insistence on bringing him along to pick some flowers for the apartment had made him brush off his suspicions. Especially since Iroh liked dragging Zuko along whenever he left the house.

But the moment he saw Iroh twirling the White Lotus tile in his hand - his eyes never leaving Zuko's face - he knew. In the two minutes that it took Iroh to give the man the password and slip into the side room, Zuko couldn't decide whether his Uncle was doing him a favour or ruining his life.

He had sat in silence outside the main room as Iroh had talked to the Old Masters and in that time, Zuko had realized his Uncle must have been very confident about him being initiated as a member to actually bring him to their headquarters. And for the first time in months, Zuko felt his spirits lift as he realized how much faith his Uncle had in him.

When, an hour later, his Uncle stepped out of the room and told him the news, Zuko couldn't help but smile at him.

* * *

The Avatar's existence had never been anything more than a story for Zuko. He had become a part of his dreams and even though it sounded significant, it wasn't. Not really. He was just something to help Zuko sleep at night.

He'd been working for the White Lotus for three years then and had just turned sixteen four months ago, when his Uncle told him. Zuko had felt stupid for not realizing it earlier.

'There's a boy.' Iroh began one night as Zuko rummaged in the cabinet for some dried figs.

'What?' Zuko asked absently.

'There's a boy.'

'Uh...' Zuko said, not sure whether his Uncle was implying that there was a boy in his life or that there was a boy somewhere. Thankfully, Iroh elaborated before he could say something stupid.

'In the desert, seven hundred miles south of the city.'

'What about him?' he asked as he continued searching for the figs.

'He's the Avatar.' he said and Zuko froze.

'The Avatar?' the fire bender echoed as he turned to Iroh, figs forgotten.

'The Avatar. He's originally an air bender, an orphan but he lives with an old friend of mine, Gyatso.' Iroh said quietly.

'You _knew_?' Zuko said exasperatedly. 'You knew he existed?'

'Of course, I knew, nephew. And so did you.'

'No, I didn't. You never implied that the Avatar was anything more than a myth.' Zuko said angrily.

'He is. Aang is fifteen years old. He does not know who he is or what he is capable of.' Iroh said.

'Aang...' Zuko echoed and despite his irritation with Iroh, he couldn't help but be just the slightest bit fascinated. The Avatar had a name.

'Azula is looking for him and she knows that you're working for the White Lotus.' Iroh said.

'But how?'

'I don't know but there is no point in staying here any longer, nephew. Very soon, she will come for you.' Iroh said with a strained smile.

Zuko paused and it was a moment before he fully understood. 'Are you telling me to run?' he said, unable to shake off his unease.

'Ah, but there would be no point in running if you had no destination.' Iroh said lightly.

'Are you telling me to run?' Zuko said, louder this time.

'Yes, nephew but to the Avatar.'

'You want me to lead her straight to him?' Zuko asked sharply.

'Certainly not. I want you to reach the Avatar before she does, find him a teacher if Gyatso hasn't already and lead him to the Gathering. I want you to be... a bodyguard of sorts.' Iroh said frankly.

'And the Masters agree?' Zuko asked sceptically.

'Indeed. We think that you'd be the best candidate.'

'Why?' Zuko asked.

'Because you know almost everyone involved. You know how to survive in the desert, how to navigate in the sands and how to be discreet. I doubt that anyone else would be able to do it as effectively, nephew.' Iroh said.

'Why are you so sure?' Zuko asked.

Iroh merely chuckled and drifted over to Zuko. He rummaged for a moment in the cabinet before straightening and handing Zuko the dried figs.

'Simply because you were thirteen when I began telling you stories about the Avatar and you never stopped me. You may not know the Avatar, Zuko, but he was the only thing that kept you sane when I could not.'

And Zuko realized that a part of him had already decided.

* * *

After that, the farther Zuko traveled into the desert the more he realized that the village was too close to the boundary, almost recklessly so. He supposed that it merely showed how well-hidden the Avatar was but it merely added another month to Zuko's journey.

The increased security made it even harder for him to cross checkpoints and several times, he'd had to resort to applying the paste that Iroh had given him to cover up his scar. A generous amount of bribes meant that he was left penniless long before he was anywhere near the village and so, he had had to sell the paste.

After that, it was only a matter of time before Azula found him.

All she had had to do was catch Zuko when he was weary. And that particular night, he'd been exhausted, both mentally and physically. Zuko had come across an inn after nearly three weeks and he had wanted nothing more than a bath. So, when the veiled prostitute had showed up at his door, he'd thought that the inn keeper had misunderstood him when he'd said that he wanted to relax.

He'd argued with her for nearly five minutes before she got annoyed and shoved him into the room. Zuko had been willing to throw her out at that point but then, he saw the flash of the dagger and the golden eyes. It was only once he'd thrown a burst of fire at her, grabbed his bag and broadswords and pretended to jump out of the window when in actuality swinging onto the roof, that it occurred to him that his own sister had just offered him sex. Admittedly, it had just been a cover but even as he ran over her words again, it made him all the more eager to get out of there as fast as possible.

* * *

The sun set over the desert with surprising swiftness that evening and Zuko couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of apprehension as he realized that it would only take a few days for the temperatures to drop drastically at night time. It seemed to affect Aang the most who, the moment he finished dinner, had thrown a blanket over himself and snuggled into the futon. Katara and Sokka, however, seemed to be more resistant to it but still joined Aang in the room. Gyatso decided to remain in the yard to gather up the chickens, that Katara and Sokka had unwittingly set loose, once he'd made sure that Zuko went into the room as well.

'Ten... nine... eight... seven... si-' the fire bender chanted under his breath.

'Isn't that supposed to make you sleepier?' Aang asked.

'What makes you think I'm trying to stay awake?' Zuko retorted.

Aang did not bother to reply and instead, raised his eyebrows as he shot the fire bender an amused look.

'No, it helps me concentrate.' Zuko said a few seconds later, his tone clipped.

'That doesn't make much sense, you know.' Katara pointed out from where she was surveying a recipe.

'Not everything has to.' Zuko said flatly.

'Ah, of course not.' she said with a roll of her eyes.

A few moments passed in silence and Zuko shuffled in an attempt to find a more comfortable position against the wall.

'What kind of food survives the longest in the desert?' Aang wondered suddenly, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as his face scrunched up in concentration.

'Dates.' Sokka said promptly from where he was looking over Katara's shoulder at the recipe.

Zuko paused and his gaze was slightly disbelieving as he looked at Sokka.

'What?' Sokka said, sounding affronted. 'I know stuff too.'

'Really...' Zuko said with an amused smile. 'What else do you know?'

'Are you making fun of me?' Sokka asked, his eyes narrowed.

'Do you have to ask?' Aang remarked with a derisive snort.

'I'm not.' Zuko said. 'I'm genuinely curious to know whether or not you two know anything.'

'Just because we're not fire benders doesn't mean that we're uneducated idiots.' Katara said sharply.

'I never said that you were!' Zuko said indignantly.

'Why did you sound so surprised then?'

'I didn't sound surprised. I was...'

'Surprised.' Aang said with a grin, earning himself a glare from Zuko.

There was a pause and Sokka's voice was aloof as he said, 'Flour, water and a camel or goat.'

'For what?' Aang wondered.

'Milk.' Zuko and Sokka answered together. The fire bender paused and took care not to appear surprised, lest he attract more of Katara's wrath. Sokka, however, smirked openly at him.

'Aw, you made a new friend, Zuko.' Aang said with a cheeky grin.

The fire bender's lips curved into a faint smile. 'Sure.'

That night, once Katara, Aang and Sokka had fallen asleep, Zuko slipped out of the room and plopped down on the bed in the yard. He'd been awake for nearly two days now but other than a vague weariness at the back of his mind, he felt no urge to lie down. But a lack of sleep would merely hinder his ability to concentrate and he had a lot to do the next day. So, Zuko alternated between watching the dozing chickens and staring at the rough wall opposite.

Had it not been for the light that suddenly flared to life in his peripheral vision, Zuko probably would have fallen asleep.

'Zuko...' Aang said faintly, his face illuminated by candle light.

'What is it?' Zuko asked as he rubbed a hand over his face and turned to the air bender.

'I...' Aang began but his voice cracked and he hastily cleared his throat. There was a pause and then he shuffled closer. He was visibly shivering.

A few minutes passed in complete silence and Zuko was just about to offer Aang a blanket when the air bender spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

'How do you manage to sleep at night?' Aang said as he stiffly took a seat at the corner of the bed. 'When you know that there's people after you and you can't do anything to stop them from getting any closer?' he asked, the tremor in his voice growing more pronounced with each word.

'Do you really want to know?' Zuko asked somewhat wryly.

'Yeah, I do.' Aang breathed.

'I think of all the stories that my Uncle told me when I was thirteen.' Zuko said slowly.

'Really? What kinds of stories?'

'Just stories about... past Fire Lords and how they conquered the desert.' he said.

'They don't sound very interesting.' Aang said sceptically.

'They're incredibly boring. That's why they make me fall asleep.' Zuko said with a wry smile.

'Well. Don't people light a candle to help them sleep? That's much simpler, don't you think?' Aang remarked.

'Yeah' Zuko said slowly. 'Simpler...'

'You don't think so?' Aang asked promptly.

'No. I agree. It's simpler.' Zuko said. He didn't mention how it would become harder once a flame was the one thing threatening to end his life. Zuko hastily shoved the thought aside and lessened the intensity of the candle flame in Aang's hand before handing the air bender a thicker blanket. 'Here, try sleeping out here.'

'But what about you?' Aang asked as he took the blanket.

'I don't mind sleeping on the floor.'

'Are you sure? You'll smell like chickens in the morning.' Aang said wryly.

'I'm not really sure what chickens smell like.' Zuko said with a shrug.

'They don't smell like anything as long as I clean out the coop.' Aang said. 'I bet princes never have to clean out chicken coops,' he said with a grin.

'I've been living in exile for nearly four years. Eventually, you have to clean a chicken coop.' Zuko said and a small smile dawned on his lips as Aang laughed.

'Really? How do you do it?' The air bender asked as he peeked over the side of the bed and raised his eyebrows.

And even though, Zuko had a hard time believing it, he and Aang spent the next half an hour arguing on who could clean out a coop quicker.

That night Zuko dreamed about Azula setting fire to chickens.

* * *

_Aw, thanks so much for the reviews, you guys :]  
I've actually been thinking about the pacing of this story and I was wondering whether or not you all think that its too slow or not. Do tell because if I decide to be perseverant, this could actually turn out pretty long :]_

_Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. And I demand that you review :D_

_-Jade_


	5. IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL READERS

**TO ALL READERS OF JADE258's WORK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND CONCERNS HER AND HER WRITING**

This is her friend and fellow writer as some of you may know me, **newXmoonXfox**. Jade's country has **BANNED** and **BLOCKED** this website, making it impossible for her to continue posting her writing here. However, she now has a **LIVEJOURNAL** account by the name of **cerise_otaku. **

We would both very much appreciate it if you would continue to support her there as well. I will be trying to post new chapters here too, but as my schedule is hectic and I have my own story to write, I may not always be punctual. I will however, do my best.

Please bare with us both and send your wishes out to her, thank you for reading.

Blood (**newXmoonXfox**)


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